Expect Big Thanksgiving Crowds at the Airport

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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Traveling for Thanksgiving? You’re in good company. The Air Transport Association (ATA) predicts a 3.5 percent year-over-year increase in the number of people traveling this Thanksgiving.

That’s up to 2.5 million people flying out on the busiest travel days of Friday, November 19, Wednesday the 24th (the day before Thanksgiving), and Thanksgiving Day; and Sunday the 28^th and Monday the 29^th as people head home. American Express just released its monthly Spending and Saving Tracker survey, which supports the vision of a busy travel season with the estimate that 40 percent of consumers have travel plans over the holidays.

In addition to the usual advice to check in online if you can, check with your airline about any delays, arrive at the airport early, and pack light, here are some more tips to help you through the Thanksgiving travel crunch:

I think the prospect of crowded Thanksgiving travel calls for a new term. How about: turkey glasses. Like rose-colored glasses, turkey glasses help Thanksgiving travelers move through the crowds, past any grumpy airline staff or ill-behaved fellow passengers with a tryptophan-like calm, a looking-forward-to-pie optimism, and the unflappable spirit of someone who is not afraid to ask for thirds at the holiday table.

Are you traveling around Thanksgiving? Have you booked yet? Did you pay more than you wanted, or did you find a deal you’re proud of?

And don’t forget to wear those turkey glasses.

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